NihontoWatchOrdering Number: AS25525Tanto in Shirasaya with Box (NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token)Signature: Taia Gassan Sadakazu Saku (kaō)An auspicious day in the second month of Showa 59 (1984).太阿月山貞一作(花押)昭和五十九年二月吉日Box Inscription: Forged in the Sōshū tradition. Blade length: slightly over 8 sun. Horimono executed by the smith himself. By Imperial Court Swordsmith, on an auspicious day in the second month of Showa 59 (1984). Taia Gassan Minamoto Sadakazu (kaō).(We divide 4 sections for each sword as Saijyo Saku, Jyojyo Saku, Jyo Saku and Regular Saku).This blade is ranked as Jyojyo Saku among the works of Taia Gassan Sadakazu.Habaki: Single gold-foiled habaki, exceptionally heavy.Blade Length: 24.4 cm (9.61 in).Curvature: 0.1 cm (0.04 in).Mekugi Hole: 1.Width at Base (Motohaba): 2.84 cm (1.12 in).Thickness of rim (Kasane): 0.55 cm (0.22 in).Sword Weight: 215 g.Era: Second month of Showa 59 (1984).Shape: The blade is engraved with a hoko-bata (sacred banner) and gomabashi (ritual chopsticks).Jigane: A tightly forged jigane with ayasugi-hada.Hamon: Nie-deki notare-ba with abundant nie and a deep nioiguchi.Features: The second-generation Gassan Sadakazu was the son of Gassan Sadakatsu. He displayed exceptional talent from an early age and, during World War II, forged swords together with his father for Emperor Shōwa. After receiving permission to resume swordmaking following the war, he worked tirelessly, winning numerous awards including the Masamune Prize. In 1971, he was designated a Living National Treasure (Important Intangible Cultural Property). The box inscription on this piece was written by Sadakazu himself.Comes with a storage box.NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token.AoiArt estimation paper: Whole Oshigata.Please note: the price does not include the shipping fees.Auction Starting Price:1,500,000JPYSoldRelated Items:Tanto: Osaka ju Gassan Sadakatsu Kinsaku (kao) A lucky day in May, Showa 9 (1934). (NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Token), accompanied by a maki-e lacquer box.Tanto: Teishitsu G
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Yamato · around 1907-1995
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Shōwa to the present: destruction and revival
The twentieth century nearly killed the craft twice: wartime distortion, then the occupation ban. The NBTHK’s founding in 1948 and licensed forging from 1953 rebuilt the sword as an art, crowned by Living National Treasures and the mukansa rank.
A Hozon-certified blade judged to show notably superior workmanship and a better state of preservation. The bar is higher: re-tempered blades and most unsigned Muromachi/Edo works are excluded.
The NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai, the Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords) is a public-interest incorporated foundation founded in 1948 and supervised by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkachō); it is based at the Japanese Sword Museum in Tokyo. Its expert panels physically examine each submitted work (shinsa) and issue a certificate (kanteishō) ranking it by artistic and historical merit. NBTHK papers are the most widely recognized standard of authentication for Japanese swords and fittings.
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